Questions of Idenity: Minority Women & Feminism
July 23, 2009
by Monica Jean Alaniz
|While I was lecturing in a course on cultural and linguistic diversity required of individuals seeking their teaching degrees I inevitably got the a question about why a teacher couldn’t just see all her students as being the same and ignore their ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. The simple (and sometimes not so simple) answer is that by ignoring these things you are ignoring a fundamental part of who the students in the classrooms are and devaluing the knowledge and background they bring into the classroom.
We also have to take care when it comes to making the feminist movement diversified and more inclusive of minority women and younger women.
One of the major problems with minority women entering the feminist movements of the past arose because many people within the movement wanted them to forget that they were African-American, Chicana, etc. This was impossible for them to do and many chose not to participate in various feminist organizations and groups due to this.
During the Chicano movement of the 60s and 70s women were relegated to being “organizers,” which in many cases meant supporting men by cooking, setting up chairs at meetings, etc. They were not the visible faces of the movement for the most part. (And, even when they were central to the movement the public face was usually that of a male, case in point, Dolores Huerta who gets very little credit for being a co-founder of the United Farm Workers along with Cesar Chavez). While they tried to rise up in the ranks, they were usually told that they had “their place.” Many of them tried to turn to the feminist movement, and in the process they were harassed by their male counterparts for not putting the Chicano movement first. Similarly, there were instances in which those in the feminist movement criticized them for not putting gender issues at the forefront.
It was a no win situation.
I don’t want to feel as if I’m in a no win situation. I want to be able to discuss issues that I find critical to my culture as well as my gender without feeling that I will be dismissed or belittled for it. And, though I know that that might not be the intent, when I am told to just consider myself an “American woman” that is how I feel. I cannot forget my cultural background; it is as integral a part of who I am as being a woman is. I am just as concerned with cultural issues as I am women’s issues. I can’t help it.
I live and grew up in one of the poorest counties in the nation (it’s always ranked one or two, swapping places with the neighboring county now and again). I have seen how women have suffered because of the combination of their gender and ethnic/racial background. I see discrimination by the Border Patrol and other law enforcement officials. I can stand on the sidewalk outside my house and see the Border Wall going up. Because I am a Chicana who resides on the border with Mexico I know about the feminicide that is occurring just up the river in Juarez. These are all issues that I am concerned with as a Chicana, a woman, and a human being!
When I watched the video that was put up recentlythat showed a compilation of attacks on Judge Sotomayor I couldn’t help but notice that they were not only aimed at her because of her gender, they were also aimed at the fact that she is a Latina. (A prime example of that is the political cartoon showing her as a piñata.)
Many times Latina women have been placed into two categories by mainstream American culture: the maid or the sex pot. I have even had a friend studying acting told that she should expect to fall into the category of maid (she was “not sexy enough” for the “sex pot” roles) and that she shouldn’t expect too many parts if she decided to try and “make it” in the world of acting. Those are things that affect me to my core because one cannot help their ethnicity,
race, or gender.
I can go into many personal instances of how this issue has also affected me, but I won’t. Needless to say, by diversifying and recognizing what women that come from a different background can bring to the feminist movement only makes what we do stronger. By asking women to ignore who they are, whether they are African-American, Chicana, Latina, Asian, or part of some other minority group you are doing them, as well as yourselves, a disservice.
Excellent piece Monica.
Let’s all work together to get it right this time. The Next Wave should feel like home for women and men of all races, religions, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds. We do this TOGETHER or we fail.
This is an important piece and I hope folks will pass it around.
Monica=)
I love it.
Great piece, Monica.
Excellent post.
This theme – gender and cultural duality – is important to also remember with respect to the conflict some African American women feel regarding HRC, Obama and TNA.
In my view, Obama has appeared to place many minority women in positions of authority and I am inspired and proud of this fact. However, he could do much better with promoting women’s rights in general. He is dissappointing in this regard.
Within TNA, I want to fee it is okay to applaud Obama for what he has done without being rediculed by TNA members – and I have not felt ridiculed to this point – but also criticize him for his lack of aggressive women’s rights advocacy.
What I liked about HRC is that I believed she would be great for all women, although I assumed – and was comfortable with – the probability that she would have a lot more majority female appointments. It is just human nature that people have a higher affinity to people who are similar to them, particularly in areas of gender, race/ethnicity and religion.
Thanks agains for the excellent post!
Well, if we’re going to be inclusive, and as a woman of color, I believe this is a must, perhaps the New Agenda could start by writing about the appalling treatment one of the Obama girls received on a few conservative blogs a few weeks ago. I’ve been waiting for the outcry from the New Agenda (given their outcry at the treatment of Palin’s daughters) and there’s been deafening silence.
Chris,
Can you give us some further information. I am unaware. Is it a major blog?
Chris,
Unfortunately I did not hear about these attacks on one of the Obama girls. I would appreciate it if you could point them out to me or I encourage you to write a guest blog about it. We do have to get involved when things like this come up, but we need the help of everyone to be made aware of what’s going on out there.
Thanks,
Monica
All,
There were some very racist and hateful remarks regarding Malia on the Free Republic that were talked about in the news.
http://thedailyvoice.com/voice.....002100.php
http://www.nowtoronto.com/dail.....ent=170467
While these remarks were vile, I would not call them mainstream, nor in tremendous volume – wrong, nonetheless.
What would be important to do at some point – and Amy has invited a story – is piece on Michelle Obama that isn’t a puff/fluff job but really seeks to obtain her views and advocacy regarding women’s rights.
Here is the original article about it:
http://www.vancouversun.com/en.....story.html
At the very end, there’s a link to a saved version of the original blog post and the comments that were finally taken down.
I completey agree. I am an African American and either I am betraying African Americans or I am betraying women. The truth is I am both.
Sometimes that is forgotten by members of both communities.
Chris,
I can’t find mention of this piece in any US press – nor do I see it on the blog mentioned.
From what is attached to this Canadian newspaper link you forwarded, it looks like some very inappropriate words in the comment section. Am I missing something?
Chris,
Like Amy, I believe you are citing a pretty fringe attack on Malia.
Amy,
I have found this book http://www.amazon.com/Our-Sepa.....1578512778 very good in how it explores the different ways gender and race is viewed among women of color
Thanks LVL. I’m trying to get through some of the modern day women’s rights literature this summer. I’ll add it to my list.
It is so interesting how WOC were not part of the second wave. I view it is imperative that TNA figures out how to bridge that gap.
May I suggest further reading on feminism and women of color?
The book “This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color” Edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa. This is an awesome collection of works that include insightful academic articles, stories, and poems. For someone who’s busy (like I know I am sometimes) you can read just a bit at a time since it’s not one big work, but a good number of pieces.
There is also “This Bridge We Call Home: Radical Visions of Transformation” Edited by Gloria E. Anzaldúa and Analouise Keating. This is a more recent follow-up to a lot of the ideas in “This Bridge Called My Back.”
I also have to plug Gloria E. Anzaldúa’s “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza,” my feminist “bible” of sorts that brought me to awareness as a Chicana feminist.
Fringe it may be, LVL, but I find it troubling that the most of the feminists talking about this were women of color, something that would not have happened had the victims been the daughter of a white president. It would have had much higher exposure.
I’ll just leave you with this link to a post Prof Susurro wrote on her blog Like a Whisper about this issue. It’s the most eloquent discussion I’ve found in which she takes issue with both the conservatives who wrote such things and the feminists who have failed to comment.
http://likeawhisper.wordpress......fam-again/
Hi Chris=)
As a woman of both color and white.I will have to disagree with you on this one.
You only have to look at insane treatment that the Palin girl’s have had to face, even the comments about her special needs child, for Christ sake.Not only from obscure bloggers/columist but also the mainstream media/Hollywood.
While these comments that were made about the Obama girl’s is disgusting these are little know bloggers or columnist of the extreme fringe.
This is not based on race this is based on people’s unhappiness towards their father’s policies.Which is absolutely NO reason to go after children.Period.
Just look at the treatment that Condoleezza Rice has received from those on the …I will say far Left.
Will Ferrel’s little play about GWB depicts her as grinding and fondling herself and even at one point…not trying to be carse here but at point was dry humped by Will Ferrel as GWB.
Conveying her as an over sexualized Black woman who could not have possibly have been in the White House working for a white President unless “something else” was going on.
Absolutely disgusting.
But this type of racism and sexism is perfectly acceptable because she is a Conservative woman.
TNA is doing what should be done.
Standing for ALL women no matter their party affiliation.
And personal a woman of my mixed background hopes that other women will see this as well.
I hope you have a great weekend=)
Jessica,
I’d suggest that calling one of Obama’s daughters “ghetto street trash” or referring to Michelle Obama as a “monkey” is indeed racism speaking and goes way beyond disagreement with President Obama’s policies. Maybe that’s just me.
I’m not asking that the New Agenda focus on this story or other stories that relate to women of color at the expense of focusing on Palin and other conservative women. I’m just asking for inclusion. If they’re going to stand for ALL women, then stand for all women.
Also, I missed the blog post that deplored the treatment of Condoleezza Rice. Where was that?
Chris,
This is where I agree and disagree with you.
Agreement: TNA should come to the defense of liberal women of color and women who have supported Obama (e.g., Michelle Obama, Judge Sotomayor, Susan Rice, etc. ) when the attack is sexist in nature. In my view, TNA is batting so-so in this area. The stories and comments seem to come quicker and more frequently for conservative, majority women. However, I have noticed a change in a positive direction in this area. I believe TNA is slowly reaching a proper balance between liberalism and conservatism and toning down the overexposure HRC and SP stories.
Disagreement: The attack on Malia was not only a supper fringe group but it appeared to be more racial and political in nature than sexist. My approach would be to keep an eye on this story and if it has legs and is retold by the mainstream media and becomes more sexist in nature – definitely TNA should – and probably would – make a statement regarding it.
Hey Chris
I was not trying to suggest that those particular comments were not racist,because they are.No question.But you are saying that these things were not coming from the fringe.That is what I was trying to get across.I personally fell, that there is a big difference in these fringe extremist on both sides doing something of this nature and when it is perfectly acceptable by the mainstream media and even the same groups that say they stand up against these things.
I am really not trying to down play the severity of the comments themselves but who they were coming from.
When extremist and fundamentalist go around saying crap like that they are looking for attention,it is best to shrug them off.Because that is all they want is attention an their 15 minutes of fame.And it’s just my personal belief that the main stream media,politicians, and even said groups are the ones that we should be keeping our eye on.
And no I have not seen the Condoleezza Rice blog either.But gimme til next week and I will definitely have done.
i was kinda at a lose as well that no body has said anything about it.
Have a good weekend=)
Fair comment, LVL.
When they need our brains, our organizational skills or support, we are part of any group. But when it comes time to hand out the goodies, at the end of the day, regardless of our color, we are just women. And they believe our reward should be to be allowed admission to the group for a time, or to be content with their good will. Or so they think.
I just started to read Marilyn French tomes on the history of women, and she defined misogyny, paraphrasing here, as the belief that women are not fully human. We are service animals in human form placed here to make life easier for men, and when we do not, we are against the laws of nature, some sort of perversion
I think that so many women are fed up with our treatment in the media that the days of us behaving like Victorian damsels, suffering and being silent are no more.
I must respectfully disagree with this post. Very rarely have I experienced feminists asking me to “forget” my ethnicity. But I have seen feminists ask that gender be made a priority, and this I completely understand. Too often, minority women, especially and almost exclusively in the United States, align with the men of their ethnicity over issues of race when faced with a race/gender issue. In fact, I would say that certain groups of minority women make race a priority 90% of the time. So, when you have a situation where both race and gender are an issue, like in the ‘08 campaign with Obama and Clinton, for example, race was given a far higher priority than gender among certain groups of minority women, no matter how extreme the gender issues became. And I saw far more non-minority feminists fighting against both race and gender than minority feminists fighting against both. And this is why I completely understand why feminists end up becoming frustrated and ask that gender be given a slight priority in the feminism movement in order for it to remain feminist. And I, for one, am happy to oblige and I don’t feel excluded or left out one bit by this request.
I am proud of you Monica
Aunt Rox
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